Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf

I am not drinking Virginia Woolf’s Kool-Aid. I had often heard of this author, but I had never read any of her books. This short book was a struggle for me to get through. Luckily, I read most of this story at the gym, so at least not all was a waste.

The entire book is a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway. She is a well-to-do gal getting ready for a party. She is frivolous, introspective, and kind of mean. She spends a good deal of time thinking about her choice of husband, whining, annoying her daughter, and living in the past. The story also jumps to various party goers and their lives, the most disturbing of which is Septimus, a WWI vet who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and is thusly losing his mind.

The story was too disjointed for me, the characters not at all meaningful. I am sure that this story was highly progressive for its time; now the mild lesbianism and feminism barely register on this reader’s radar.

I love reading classic novels, I just didn’t love this one in particular. What are your favorite oldies but goodies? I would love any suggestions.